Democrats oppose Trump administration effort to weaken education standards

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• Lawmakers’ objections
• Context and program trends
• Administration response and rationale
• Advocates and former officials push back

Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdraw a proposed rule that would reshape Head Start, calling the changes illegal and “antithetical” to the program’s mission. In a letter to Kennedy’s office that was first obtained by ABC News, a bicameral coalition led by Sen. Bernie Sanders said the administration’s plan would strip federal protections and weaken services for vulnerable children and families.

Head Start, the nation’s largest federal early childhood program, serves more than 700,000 children ages 3 to 5 and provides early education along with health, nutrition and family-support services. The proposed rule would shift federal oversight toward state control and, lawmakers say, roll back roughly 90% of the program’s performance standards — a change they describe as an effort to “gut” Head Start.

Lawmakers’ objections

The letter, led by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — an independent who caucuses with Democrats — was signed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Education Committee ranking member Bobby Scott and more than 150 other Democrats. The lawmakers wrote that the proposed rule “is a brazen attempt to dismantle Head Start without regard for the hundreds of thousands of young children and working-class families who depend on these programs and services every year,” according to the ABC News-obtained letter.

They argue the changes would violate the Head Start Act, which establishes eligibility and standards for the program, and would “illegally eliminate” core components designed to help vulnerable students and families. The letter warns the administrative revisions could diminish program quality, reduce disciplinary standards, eliminate jobs for educators and health-care providers, and weaken protections for students with disabilities and unhoused families.

Context and program trends

Head Start has been altered by prior administrations, including periods that saw significant reductions in funded slots. Government data show enrollment fell from more than 1 million children in fiscal year 2016 to 771,121 in FY2025, the letter notes.

The National Head Start Association said it supports the government’s intent to reduce unnecessary burdens on programs and educators but told ABC News that the proposed rule goes beyond the association’s preferred deregulatory approach.

Administration response and rationale

A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson pushed back against critics, saying local Head Start programs that prefer existing federal standards may continue to maintain them. The spokesperson added, “Head Start teachers and staff are exceptional professionals who have in many cases dedicated their lives to serving children and families,” and criticized some elected leaders for not trusting local directors, teachers and parents to make program decisions.

The health department has argued the rule would empower parents, implement new federal dietary and physical activity guidelines, shift early childhood governing authority to states, and eliminate duplicative compliance layers. The department also said it awarded more than $200 million to Head Start for nutrition, facilities and other services last month.

Advocates and former officials push back

Early childhood advocates have raised alarms about proposed provisions that would require English-only instruction, cap administrative spending and alter health-screening requirements, saying such changes could harm future participants.

The letter was sent as a 60-day open comment period on the proposed rule ends. Kennedy — whose uncle Sargent Shriver founded Head Start in 1965 — has said the reforms are intended to remove unnecessary bureaucracy and “renew the promise of Head Start for the next generation,” according to the health department.

Bernadine Futrell, who served as the Biden administration’s Head Start director, told ABC News the program is “life saving” and delivers more than early learning: “It is an early childhood program. It’s focusing on brain development, health and nutrition, healthy habits, financial literacy, economic mobility for parents, and it’s a two-generational approach — where it’s not just a child being served; it’s the entire family that is moving to another level,” she said.